On August 5th, 1981, the Beastie Boys played their first show in guitarist John Berry's loft. It was Adam Yauch's 17th birthday.

It was at this party that Dave Parsons of the Rat Cage record store said that he wanted to start recording bands, and asked the Beastie Boys if they were interested. They said yes, and the Polly Wog Stew EP was the result.

The name BEASTIE is actually an acronym: Boys Entering Anarchistic States Toward Internal Excellence.

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In September of 1980, Jerry Williams opened up 171-A Studio. A former glass shop, Williams put in a stage and a sound booth and threw after hours parties with bands (like The Cooties). The NYFD closed it down before a New Year's party, so it was converted to a rehearsal space.

The space had 15' ceilings and was 60' long, so the dimensions were similar to CBGB's. Bad Brains recorded their original ROIR tape at this location in 1981.

In 1982, the Beastie Boys recorded the Polly Wog Stew EP here with producer Scott Jarvis (later released on Some Old Bulllshit). Utilizing a four-track and an Echo-plex, they were kicked out of the studio after two days so they mixed it in Jarvis's apartment.

The original line-up was Kate Schellenbach on drums (later in Luscious Jackson), Adam Yauch on bass, John Berry on guitar, and Mike D vocals.

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After Rubin and Simmons signed a distribution deal with CBS in late 1985, they bought this building for Def Jam Recordings (and Rush Management). This was their first real location for Def Jam Records outside of Rick Rubin's dorm room at Weinstein Hall on the campus of New York University.

In 1987, the Beastie Boys and Run-DMC had a photo shoot on the roof of the Elizabeth St. building to promote their up-coming "Together Forever" tour. The tour featured the two largest hip hop acts at the time, and was one of the few tours that featured black and white artists of equal stature.

The building's address was listed as the Fan Club in the Licensed to Ill liner notes.

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The exterior of the Midtown West talian-Argentinean cafe, Sosa Borella, is used in the Beastie Boys video "Ch-Check It Out" off their 2004 release To The 5 Boroughs.

In this portion of the video, some snooty cafe-goers attack the Beastie Boys with a baguette and a fight ensues.

Also in the video, a fight occurs at the doctor's office, on the street between the Beastie Boys dressed as Star Trek ensigns, and on an airboat as the crew is dressed in 70's era Wild Kingdom outfits with a swamp blue-screen background. I didn't say it makes sense...

Cafe Sosa Borello currently has a 96% approval rating on UrbanSpoon.

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The music venue/bar known as A7 Annex was located at the corner of 2nd Ave and 1st St (near Houston) in the Lower East Side. It was another fixture of the NY hardcore scene in the early 80's, when several hardcore bands played at this location- the Beastie Boys, Reagan Youth, The Mob, Kraut, Meatmen, and more. The building no longer exists.

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